Winter Flounder is a fast growing flatfish, distributed along the Atlantic coast from Labrador to North Carolina. They are typically found in inshore bays and estuaries in the winter and deeper waters in the summer.

There are three managed populations of Winter Flounder – Georges Bank, Gulf of Maine and southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Bight. The Georges Bank population is healthy and fished at a sustainable level, the status of the Gulf of Maine population is uncertain, and the southern New England/Mid-Atlantic population is depleted.

Bottom trawls and bottom gillnets are used to catch Winter Flounder. These fishing methods catch some species of concern, such as depleted Atlantic cod and marine mammals.